


Clown Child

by Blakpaw



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe- Different outcomes, Child!chracter, Inability to control emotions, More Tags may be added as time goes on., Not canon time line, Slow Progression into madness, Unhealthy Emotional Reactions, Updates might be slow depending on the outside world, alternate universe- Different ages, emotional trama, inability to control emotional reactions, inability to control facial expresions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 06:08:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10565211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blakpaw/pseuds/Blakpaw
Summary: Batman has raised two fine young men to be heroes, and recently has watched his second son flee from the nest to join his first, grown up and ready to spread his wings.He thought he'd seen it all, raising two boys from child hood, to teen hood, to young adult hood.And Than he comes across a young boy more traumatized then even himself, slowly dissenting into madness, and there's no way he's leaving the kid behind. Even if the kid ends up with blood on his hands.





	

**Author's Note:**

> IMPORTANT HISTORY AND INFORMATION STUFF:  
> This Story takes place long after Bruce has become Batman, Jason Todd never died and has become a hero that fights along side Nightwing, and because I'm unimaginative his name is The Crow. Barbra Gordon is still crippled, but she was instead shot by Two Face instead of the Joker. There is no next robin after Jason Todd yet. This time line is very complicated and I have not entirely fleshed out this story yet. This is akin to a pilot, to see if I have a good feel for this story and if it gets a good response.
> 
> Please keep in mind this is currently just and idea and many things are still to be fleshed out, and I am rather new to the DC comics world, so if there are any issues, contradictions, or inaccurate representations please keep this in mind. This is also the first serious attempt I have made at a full blown multi chapter story, which I do intend to finish, and depending on how I feel about it, I may finish it no matter the reviews this story gets.
> 
> Thank you for taking your time to read over this, and please do be honest on your opinions, thank you.  
> ~ <3 Blakpaw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Batman has seen a lot of strange and out of place things in his years since he dawned the cowl, he's had many things send pins and needles of unease down his spine. This by far is the most nerve racking."
> 
> Batman is in the midst of chasing down the Red Hood when an accident involving a 12 year old boy leads him to take in yet another orphaned child under his wing.

Batman has seen a lot of strange and out of place things in his years since he dawned the cowl, he's had many things send pins and needles of unease down his spine. This by far is the most nerve racking.

ACE Chemicals is currently in the middle of a robbery by a masked figure called the Red Hood, this is not the first encounter, nor will it be the last, that Batman has had with the masked figure, it is whilst he is chasing this still anonymous figure that Batman notices the boy sitting on the railing. Now the first thing the occurs to him is that the boy is alone. The next is that the boy got this far unnoticed by him, the police, the security guards, and the Red Hood Mob. The Third thing he notices is the boy looks homeless and can be no older than 12, he hasn't even started puberty. The fourth thing he notices is that the Red Hood is reaching out to grab the young brown haired boy who's only just realized he's not alone, and time slows as the boy moves to stop his attacker.

He falls.

The Bat skids down onto his chest as the boy falls from the railing, hands flailing wildly, grasping at the tattered and dirty material of his red back pack, he drags it down with him and Bat throws his hand through the gaps at the bottom of the railing, there fingers brush, and the boy screams in terror as he falls into the green filled vat below. Batman is on his feet in seconds, slamming the Hood's head into the railing and running down the corridor, he barley hears himself barking orders at Alfred to get the vats draining and get him coordinates to the drain site. To be honest he isn't even sure how Alfred did it, the blood is pounding in his ears. It was just a kid. He couldn't let the kid die. He couldn't. It just wasn't right. He runs into the open air, running to the coordinates he'd been sent, the police are calling after him, confused and unsure what the Batman is chasing, but they trust him.

A torrent of green spills out one of the pipes, something heavy inside the pipe clunks into a wall on it's way down, and Bruce catches a distressed noise, witch turns into a gurgling as the boy tried to scream for help. The fifth thing he realizes is the boy just fell into and swallowed acid and is still miraculously alive. As soon as the the acidic compound runs out he rushed forwards, to the figure rolling in the mud, hacking and coughing. He can smell the blood without even getting close to the boy, and as he bends down to pick the boy up, a terrifying sound fills the air, a mixture of sobbing, laughing, and shrieking coming from one person all at once, the boy in his arms is smiling, and coughing through the disturbing noise tumbling from his lips. The sixth thing Batman notices is the boy is bleeding from his tear ducts and mouth, he needs medical attention and fast. He doesn't wait for the police to access the child, he doesn't have time. He rushes to the bat mobile and straps the 12 year old boy in, before hoping over the car and getting inside rushing down the streets of Gotham, more reckless than he's been in years, his eyes shooting over to the boy every few moments. The seventh thing he notices, as he rushes through the streets of the city, is the boy's skin has gone white and his previously brown hair has gone a toxic green. The eighth thing he notices is none of the boy's clothes have been bleached like his skin, despite the fact they're soaking wet with acid.

Batman jumps out of his car, rushing the pick the boy up, and he runs into the ER, wasting not time as he barks our orders to the medical staff, "I don't have much time to explain, he fell into a vat of chemicals, I've not had time to process the compounds. He may have ingested some, you need to get him to the ICU, keep him stable." there are no complaints as they rush off with this trembling, laughing, sobbing, screaming boy. Batman rushes back to the chemical plant, takes samples from every vile in the plant and sends them off to be thoroughly tested, sending in a sample he managed to grab from the vat the boy fell into, remnants of it still on the walls of the vat. It takes many hours of elimination and testing, but eventually they're able to locate the chemical compound of the acid and the best way to handle it's burns. The blood is still pounding in his ears as he stares into the boy's room, he's refused to leave tell the boy wakes up, as they put him under so he didn't ruin his throat anymore with all the unholy noise he was making. He needs to know why he was there, where his parents are, who he is.

It takes the rest of the night and a good portion of the beginning hours of the next day tell he wakes up, gasping awake and looking terrified at his surroundings, before he relaxes, seeming to note he's not where he thought he was. Batman does't wait for the okay before he walks into the room, the boy looks up at him, the mass of green hair on his head whipping around, and his pale white skin dulling the whites of eyes in comparison. He sits down beside the bed, trying not to come off intimidating. Despite how terrifying he might normally be to most people, the boy's lips turn up into a smile, red lining the inside of his lips, but his vibrant green eyes betray his lips, they're scared, terrified, anxious. He keeps his voice calm, steady, and as soft as he can muster with the Batman Voice, "What's your name?" the boy snorts a bit, covering his mouth before shakily replying "What's it matter to you?" his voice is rough, high pitched. Bruce can only assume it must be from all the post swallowing acid screaming. It'll probably never change much.

Bruce pauses for a moment, staring the boy straight in the eye before calmly stating "We need to notify you're parents what has happened to you." the boy's lips twitch wider, which should be impossible with how big his smile is already, and he looks away from the Bat "Well in that case I'm not telling you." he crosses his arms and pulls them close, his chest shudders with a suppressed giggle. Batman tilts his head ever so slightly "Did... they do something bad to you?" the boy pauses. A few heart beats go by and the boy starts to laugh uncontrollably, grabbing Batman's arm and looking him in the eyes, his vivid green orbs scared and confused. Batman, unsure of what to do, sits in wait until the by relaxes ever so slightly, he looks up at the bat terrified, gripping his own hair instead on the black clad arm. 

He only says one thing in his trembling voice "What's happening to me?"

The Bat gently touches his back and doesn't say anything, because he doesn't know. The boy is obviously in no state to talk about his parents, so he softly inclines his head still trying to keep his voice soft "Alright why don't we move on from that for now... Is there anything I can call you tell you feel comfortable enough with telling me your real name?" the boy pauses, takes in a deep breath and subtly leans into the hand "M-My friends used to call me Joker, you see, because I-I tell a lot of jokes a-and pull pranks n' stuff...." Batman nods softly. 

"Well then Joker, you don't have to worry anymore, okay? I'll keep you safe." and the Boy looks up at him with the widest smile he's ever seen, and the most terrified and vivid green eyes he's ever seen in all his years as Batman. He want's to hug the boy, tell him everything will be okay, wants to whisk him home to Wayne Manor and promise this boy safety and help. He want's to help this boy grow up. He knows as soon as those thoughts cross his mind it's set in stone. He has to save this kid. Just like he saved Dick and Jason. He hast to. Because other wise they'll end up more broken then when he found them.

He lets Joker have his space, he's been through a lot and he can only imagine how terrified this kid really is. He needs his time. He needs his space. So he gives the kid just that, plenty of time and plenty of space.

Batman doesn't leave the hospital for long, on the rare occasion he even does, when he does its usually to just wash up for the day before returning. The way he sees it this young boy is his charge now, he can't just abandon him. The kid isn't so bad either, he tells pretty okay jokes for a 12 year old, nothing to immature for someone his age, they're decent enough to make Batman's lips twitch up a bit. But the kid is getting sick, not physically but mentally. The first few days the boy couldn't stop smiling, couldn't help but giggle and laugh when he shouldn't. The more recent days he's been making threats through his jokes, he apologizes through the laughter. Joker has also developed a habit of muttering soft things to himself when alone for extended periods of time when he has nothing to do. In attempts to prevent this the nurses supplied him with a deck of cards, the kid is full of magic tricks and poker games, usually, when he can convince batman or a nurse to play with him, it's for more or less curfew time, or jello cups, usually lime flavor. His physical form hasn't changed much, the skin is still white, but at least the insides of the kid's lips aren't blood red anymore, and his eyes aren't always so unnervingly wide and shaky.

Joker's last day at the hospital is spent with him, Batman, and a few nurses sat on the floor playing a game of poker, each with about five lime cups, "Winner takes all." the Joker states, the confidence is thick in his voice. Batman understands why, he's beat all of these nurses, learned there poker faces, learned to read them, Joker's terrifyingly good at that for such a young kid. The only one he hasn't won constantly against is the Bat, but, as Joker is very adamant at stating, is because half his face is covered, most truths are revealed in the eyes. Batman assumes he's cheating by looking into the gleaming shines of there eyes to try and read there card, but he has no proof, and if that's the case this kid has a keener eye than he originally gave him credit for. In the end, Batman ended up winning, but refused to keep all of them, he gave the players back the cups they started with, told Joker he wasn't allowed to eat all of his right away, and proceeded to give his Jello cups to Joker. The wide, genuine, smile on the kids face was worth it as he popped one open, made a cheers motion with the cup, before plunging a plastic spoon into the green substance an digging in.

The next day he decides to take the Joker home, the kid is in the passenger seat with a hospital bag, he's wearing a pair of scrubs that where provided for them as the state of his old clothes was less than enjoyable looking, covered in the kids blood, acid residue, and mud, The kid picked out a purple shirt and green pants, they provided him with a few more scrubs with the same color scheme. They're about fifteen minutes into the drive when he decides to try and get the boy's name again "You're going to be learning who I am very soon, Joker. I think it's only fair I learn your name as well?" he glances at the boy, he looks up at the bat, and he smiles a little bit and seem to consider his options. After a moment he answers "Alright, but you have to tell me before we get to where ever you live AND you're not allowed to tell any one my real name. You keep calling me Joker, got it B-man?" he states crossing his arms, but still smiling. Bat's hums a bit and nods "Alright fine, if that's what it takes." he's half agreeing to the term to prove to the boy that he respects his privacy, his cant to keep things to himself, and half doing it to prove to the boy he can be trusted with information like this.

"You go first." the boy boldly demands of the older man, Batman tilts his head towards the boy a bit and calmly states "It's Bruce. Bruce Wayne." the kid stares at him for a moment and began to giggle "No way I'm being adopted by a freakin' billionaire...." Bruce smirks at that and glances at the boy expectantly, to which he holds up a hand, trying to suppress the over enthused laughter "O-okay, I'm okay... woo man that was a shocker, kinda, not really." Bruce is about to ask what he means by that when the boy speaks up again "It's Jack. Jack Napier. That's m' name." Bruce nods a bit, and they fall into a content silence, only a little giggle here and there breaking from young Jack's lips. As he glances at the boy one last time Bruce knows he's in for an experience that no parent, no matter how experienced, could be absolutely prepared for, but he could certainly be prepared for the unexpected. Maybe he won't have all his card on the table, but he'll have enough to keep him going long enough to learn a strategy.


End file.
